This is a transcription of the register copy of the will of Letitia Mascall (nee Brucer formerly Christian) of Stanmore, Middlesex. She had her will drawn up on 28 January 1768, and it was proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 9 September 1768. ^[1]

• Spelling, punctuation and line breaks are as per the original document.
• The text was originally in one block of text. Paragraph breaks at change of bequest ("Item"), and bold text for names have been added for ease of reading.
• Where present, ff has been rendered as F, and the old letter Thorn has been rendered as th.
• Abbreviations and breviographs have been expanded in [square brackets].
• Additions and margin notes, where they occur, have been added where indicated in the text.
• Crossings through, where they occur, have been included Struck out.
• The image quality was acceptable, and the handwriting legible.

Persons mentioned:

• Letitia Mascall of Stanmore in the County of Middlesex Widow. Testator. Born Letitia Brucer, married first Hugh Christian and secondly Thomas Mascall.
• Miss Sara Eliz: Awsiter Daughter of John Awsiter Esquire of Southall lands in Northall, Buckinghamshire. Unmarried, parents still alive.
• my servant Mary Polly £20 per annum for life
• my beloved friend Mrs Ann Cotesworth spinster of George Street Hanover Square 100 guineas
• my servant Hannah Williams £10
• Mr William Blackbeard relationship not stated. Received land in Kent in return for maintaining Testator's grave
• my servant Joseph £10. Surname not given
• Hugh Cloberry Christian son of Tho^s Christian my late Son deceased residue of Lands
• Tho^s Awister to him and his five Sisters Surname spelled incorrectly. Relationship not given. Reversion of lands if no heirs of Hugh Cloberry Christian.
• Mrs Mary Willes wife of Mr Willes executor of will. Later mentions that she was late Mary Boulier, current husband is Charles Willis.
• John Shenton of Shoe Lane Gold Beater Executor
• Paul Vallant Esquire of Pall Mall. Probate statement corrects his name to Paul Vaillant who is probably this Paul Vaillant later of Twickenham and Stanmore, Middlesex. Executor and guardian of Hugh Cloberry Christian until he reached the age of 25 years (Hugh was 21 years old at the time).
• Eliz: Turst witness
• Salome Turst witness
• Jno Jelly witness

---

[folio 134 recto]
In the Name of God Amen
I Letitia Mascall of Stanmore in the County of Middlesex Widow
being of sound and disposing Mind and Memory do make and
ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form

[folio 134 verso]
following First and principal I commend my soul to Almighty
God trusting through the alone Merits of my dear Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ to inhabit Eternal Life and Happiness
my Body to be decently interred and as to my temporal
Estate / I give and dispose of as followeth

Item I give and
devise to Miss Sara Eliz: Awsiter Daughter of John Awsiter
Esquire of Southall in the County of Middlesex all my Farms
being all Freehold Land with Houses Barns Stables lying in
Northall in the County of Bucks in the possession of William
Wells to her free from her Father or Mother Brothers or
Sisters Control but to her sole and only use and in no
Respect be subject or liable to any intermeddling of any
Husband she may hereafter marry and that the same shall
be to and for her sole and only use of her and her Heirs and
assigns

Item I give to my servant Mary Polly if she lives with
me at my decease twenty pounds a year for her natural Life
only to be paid to her Quarterly as long as the said Mary Polly
shall live

Item I give to my beloved friend Mrs Ann Cotesworth
spinster of George Street Hanover Square one hundred Guineas
for a Ring

Item I give and devise to my servant Hannah
Williams if she lives with me at my decease the Sum of ten
pounds of lawful Money

Item I give and devise to Mr
William Blackbeard all my Freehold Lands Houses Barns
Stables lying and being at Weavering in the parish of Boxly
near Meedston ^[2] in the County of Kent to him to maintain to
keep clean and in good Repair my vault or Burial place for
ever and that he the said Mr Blackbeard visit or cause to
be visited every good Friday for ever and I give two pounds to
be paid out of the profits of the said Estate to be divided between
the poor Widows of the three Villages that it Norwood Norcott
and Southall in the parish of Hase ^[3] in the County of Middlesex
to be paid to them for ever

Item I give to my servant Joseph
ten pounds of lawful Money if he lives with me at my decease

Item I give and devise all the Remains and Residue of my
Estates and Fulham Bridge to Hugh Cloberry Christian son
of Tho^s Christian my late Son deceased to him and the Heirs
of his Body lawfully begotten and it is my will the said
Hugh Cloberry Christian be not age till he is twenty
five years of age and in case of Faulter of such Heirs of
his Body lawfully begotten Item I then give all my said
Estates to Tho^s Awister to him and his five Sisters for their
sole and only use for ever

Item I give and bequeath the
Residue of all my Personal Estate whatsoever to Miss Sarah
Eliz: Awister for her sole and only use

Item I give to Mrs Mary
Willes wife of Mr Willes fifty pounds of lawful Money Item
I give to John Shenton of Shoe Lane Gold Beater fifty pounds
of lawful Money

Item I give to Paul Vallant Esquire one
hundred pounds of lawful Money and I do nominate
and Appoint the said Mr Vallant guardian to Hugh Cloberry
Christian till he is twenty five years of age and I do hereby
nominate and appoint Mr Vallant of Pell Mell ^[4] Mrs Mary
Willis late Mrs Boulier Mr Shenton of Shoe Lane London

[folio 135 recto]
Executors of this my last Will In Witness whereof I have
hereunto set my Hand and Seal - January 28 1768 - Letitia
Mascall - {seal} - Signed sealed published and declared by
the Testator to be her last Will and Testament in the
presence of us who have subscribed our Names was Witnesses
in her presence and at her Request - Witnesses - Eliz: Turst
Salome Turst - Jno Jelly

This Will was proved at London on the ninth day
of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven
hundred and sixty eight before the Worshipful George
Harris Doctor of Laws and Surrogate of the Right Worshipful
George Hay also Doctor of Laws Master Keeper or
Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully
constituted by the oaths of Paul Vaillant Esquire by Mistake
in the will called Vallant and John Shenton two of the
Executors named in the said Will to whom Administration
of all and singular the Goods Chattels and Credits of the
said Deceased was granted they having been first sworn duly
to administer - power reserved of making the like Grant
to Mary Willis / wife of Charles Willis / the other Executor when
she shall apply for the same

Sources

1. ↑ Will of Letitia Mascall 1768: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
   The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 942
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 5111 #304330 (accessed 9 November 2023)
2. ↑ Maidstone
3. ↑ Hayes, Middlesex
4. ↑ Pall Mall